FEBRUARY 2025 GS4 DAW
Q2. Do you think the accounts of ancient and medieval travellers are useful in understanding
life in contemporary urban centers? Give reasons for your answer. (150 words, 10 marks)
Approach
Introduction: Give a brief introduction on ancient and medieval travellers.
Body:
• Explain how the accounts of the ancient and medieval travellers are useful in arriving at an
understanding of life in contemporary urban centres
• Explain the limitations of travel accounts in understanding contemporary urban life.
Conclusion: Conclude appropriately.
Introduction: Ancient and medieval travellers, such as Megasthenes, Fa-Hien, Al-Biruni, and Ibn
Battuta, documented their observations about cities, trade, culture, and governance. Their accounts
provide valuable insights into the urban centers of their times and helps in understanding historical
patterns of urbanization, social structures, and economic activities.
Accounts of ancient and medieval travellers are useful in understanding life in contemporary
urban centers:
• Urban planning: Travelers like Megasthenes described cities such as Pataliputra with well-
planned roads, drainage systems, and fortifications help us understand the importance of urban
planning even today.
• Economic activities: Marco Polo and Al-Biruni detailed thriving trade centers, market
regulations, and merchant networks, which shows how cities evolved as economic hubs, similar
to modern business centers.
• Social and cultural life: Fahien and Xuan Zang documented festivals, religious practices, and
caste divisions, allowing us to compare past societal norms with contemporary urban diversity
and social interactions.
• Governance and administration: Francois Bernier’s account of Mughal rule highlights
governance structures, taxation, and justice systems provides insights into the evolution of modern
municipal administration.
• Religious influence in cities: I-Tsing and Xuan Zang wrote about Buddhist centers like Nalanda
and Bodh Gaya explains how religious institutions shaped city structures.
• Law and order in cities: Marco Polo noted the safety of travellers on highways and in urban
centers, shows early policing systems, which helps us in analyzing the importance of law
enforcement in today’s cities.
• Multiculturalism and migration: John Hughen and Al-Biruni observed the mix of people from
different regions and cultures in cities helps us understand how historical migration shaped the
multicultural urban societies we see today.
• Living standards: Peter Mundy described food habits, clothing, and housing during Mughal
times. These insights provides reference point for how living conditions have evolved in urban
centers.
Limitations of travel accounts in understanding contemporary urban life:
• Limited perspective: Ancient and medieval travellers often belonged to elite backgrounds, so
their accounts focus more on rulers and wealthy classes ignoring the common people.
• Bias and exaggeration: Many travellers exaggerated prosperity or hardships based on personal
experiences which makes their descriptions unreliable for an accurate comparison with modern
cities.
• Incomplete social details: They documented only what they found interesting, leaving out
aspects like gender roles, caste dynamics, and rural-urban interactions that are crucial for urban
studies today.
• Obsolete economic systems: The economic structures described by travellers, like barter systems
or feudal economies, are vastly different from modern market-based economies, which makes
direct comparisons difficult.
• Different governance systems: Medieval cities were ruled by monarchs or feudal lords, whereas
contemporary cities function under democratic governance. This makes historical accounts less
useful in studying modern administration.
Conclusion: Ancient and medieval travellers provide valuable insights into the social, cultural, and
economic life of the past. These observations help us understand the evolution of urban societies. Their
writings still serve as a starting point for understanding the historical foundations that have shaped the
urban environments we see now.
